NYN Daily (4/19/16)

By NYN Daily

Sunny across the state. New York City, high 70; Albany, high 63; Buffalo, high 58.

You are receiving New York Nonprofit Daily a Monday-Friday morning e-brief covering the state’s nonprofit sector.

TOP NEWS

One of the city's largest shelters has never had a security camera system: The Bellevue 30th Street Men's Shelter, where a 56-year-old resident was found dead on his bed with his throat slit last week, has never had a security camera system, officials said, DNAinfo reports. A spokesman for the Department of Homeless Services said that there hasn't been a security system at the 850-bed shelter in its 30 years of operation. Read more.

In four poorer neighborhoods, New York City will scrap tests to create new gifted system: Faced with another year in which few children in several poor districts met the city’s official criteria for giftedness, New York City is changing the rules, Chalkbeat writes. The city will open four new gifted and talented programs and ditch the usual screening exams in favor of evaluations that will allow teachers to hand pick second-graders who they believe are performing above grade level. Read more.

Among travelers and commuters, the homeless stop in and stay: At New York City’s major transit hubs — its two railroad stations, the main bus terminal and its two airports — the persistence of homeless people seeking shelter among the blur of travelers has become a familiar sight, The New York Times writes. While the concentration of homeless people is uneven — relatively small numbers at La Guardia and Kennedy Airports and larger populations at Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal and the Port Authority Bus Terminal — they are a manifestation of an intractable homelessness problem in the city. Read more.

East New York deal sets precedent for wave of rezonings: The East New York rezoning process and agreement were being watched closely by Council members, especially those whose districts are in the pipeline for rezonings under Mayor de Blasio’s larger housing plan, Gotham Gazette writes. Read more.

The housing potential of NYC's empty spaces: City Limits surveyed the 1,131 vacant city-owned properties that Comptroller Scott Stringer cited in his February audit as lots that "can potentially be developed for affordable housing," unearthing the varied histories and complicated potential of vacant space in the city. Read more.

Permanent government a perpetual threat to De Blasio's agenda: Mayor Bill de Blasio’s agenda on behalf of our most vulnerable and underserved populations is facing a serious threat during the countdown to the 2017 citywide primary election: the permanent government, Eddie Borges writes in NY Slant. The permanent government, Borges explains, is made up of the career managers and workers at state and city agencies who remain in their jobs no matter who is elected governor or mayor or who is appointed to lead these agencies. Read more.

************

Blend Progressive Theory and Practical Experience at The New School:

At the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy —part of The New School in New York City—you can turn your commitment to social justice into a successful career with a master’s degree in International Affairs, Nonprofit Management, Urban Policy Analysis and Management, Environmental Policy and Sustainability Studies, or Organizational Change Management.

Maloney announces over $2.2 million investment in Orange County Head Start:

Representative Sean Patrick Maloney announced more than $2.2 million in federal funding for Head Start of Eastern Orange County, Inc. This investment will support Early Learning and Head Start programs that provide education and development services for low-income children. This federal investment builds upon previous awards that Maloney secured for Head Start programs in Orange County. In February, Rep. Maloney announced that his office secured a $1.7 million grant for the Regional Economic Community Action Program, which totals over $3 million secured in the past two years for RECAP.

************

The Labor movement needs people like you. Become a leader.

Strengthen your ability to advocate for equity and social justice in your workplace. Examine the challenges facing workers, the dynamics of class, race and gender and their impact on social movements. Earn a Master’s in Labor Studies at the Murphy Institute at the CUNY School of Professional Studies. Faculty includes scholars such as Ruth Milkman, Ph.D., and Penny Lewis, Ph.D.

The Direct Support Professional is responsible for implementing person-centered services for each individual. This includes ensuring implementation of the individual’s goals/valued outcomes in relation to both center-based and community inclusion activities. In addition, the Direct Support Professional is directly responsible for the individual’s overall safety and well-being. Click here for more information.

Assistant Director Human Resources, Abbott House

The Assistant Director is responsible for managing a range of activities related to employee/labor relations and staffing functions. Will be required to assist in all functions of the Human Resources Department. Qualifications:Extensive knowledge of applicable state and federal employment and labors laws and governmental compliance requirements a must. Master’s degree preferred, Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in human resources management or related field. Click here for more information.

Application Support Specialist, Saint Dominic's Home

St. Dominic's Home is seeking an Application Support Specialist to provide support to social services programs such as those funded by OCFS, OMH and OPWDD as well as other service departments. Able to troubleshoot common problems and issues around user accounts, functions of the applications as well as basic PC and networking connectivity issues. Familiarity with New York State "Connections" as well as the Administration for Children Services (ACS) applications such as LTS, eCANS, PROMIS and PAMS is preferred. Click here for more information.

Accounting Management Solutions (AMS), a CliftonLarsonAllen LLP Division, is the Northeast’s leading provider of executive-level accounting and finance professionals. We support nonprofits with part-time, interim, business advisory, project resources and professional search.

AMS will be hosting a NY Nonprofit Accounting Meetup on May 11th from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm at Slattery's Midtown Pub.

Come network with us for: Career advancement, partnerships, business development, and professional conversation.

* New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is no longer saying he has not been contacted by the office of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in relation to two probes that touch on his administration and campaign donors, Politico New York reports. Read more.

* A member of a volunteer Orthodox Jewish security force in Brooklyn that works closely with New York City police was arrested for allegedly paying NYPD officers to expedite gun-permit applications, the latest development in a corruption probe, The Wall Street Journal reports. Read more.

* New York City officials lifted deed restrictions on Rivington House, a Lower East Side health clinic now slated to become condos, based on an appraisal that valued it at $65 million, about half of what the city sold it for, the Journal reports. Read more.

************

NONPROFITS IN THE NEWS

'Last Sun Umbrella Factory' in NYC Wants Williamsburg Artists Out: Artists who live and work in a warehouse on Metropolitan Avenue are in the midst of a costly legal battle in an effort to preserve their studio and living space from a landlord they say wants them gone, DNAinfo writes. In a last-ditch attempt to pay their mounting legal fees, tenants at 722 Metropolitan Ave. who run the gallery/theater/artists workshop spaces Standard ToyKraft and Let's Play at Her House are turning to the public for help. Read more.

************

NYN EVENTS

Nonprofit OpCon is taking place June 9th at Baruch College. This event will focus on streamlining operations and processes for New York’s nonprofit organizations. We will have a full day of sessions with topics on technology, finance, risk assessment, hiring talent, output versus outcome, real estate and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to join executive leadership from New York’s nonprofits. Sponsorship and exhibit opportunities are still available. For more details or to RSVP, please click here.

For the first time, New York Nonprofit Media celebrates Front-Line Heroes in the nonprofit community on April 26, 2016 at 8:00am at New York Law School. The event will celebrate the accomplishments of the 25 honorees who exhibit the traits of a Front-Line Hero: a committed, innovative behind-the-scenes human service practitioner, leader and advocate for change in New York. To place congratulatory ads, buy VIP tables, or view our current list of winners, please click here.

The Role of Business in K-12 Education: May 19th, Hunter College - City & State Reports presents a one-day, high-impact conference that will explore how businesses, foundations and nonprofits can have a tangible, positive effect on K-12 education. Stanley Litow of IBM; Dale Russakoff, author of “The Prize”; and Lisa Belzberg of PENCIL present. Early bird and nonprofit rates available. Register now.

************

SECTOR FOCUS: Environmental News

Concerns raised over use of RGGI funds: One of the key features of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is that most of the proceeds from its carbon auctions are reinvested in energy efficiency and renewable energy programs RGGI supporters are now concerned, however, that the transfer of RGGI proceeds to other programs in New York state and a proposal to redirect RGGI funds in Connecticut is weakening that core principle of the cap-and-trade program, Bloomberg BNA reports. Read more.

Are Green Labels legitimate or just Greenwashing? As sustainability becomes more mainstream, more and more products today advertise their green credentials—with many displaying third-party certifications on their labels, Scientific American writes. But how can consumers know which certifications are legit? Read more.

10 Ways to be a greener traveler, even if you love to fly: The New York Times Travel section offers travelers 10 ways to travel in a more environmentally responsible fashion. Read more.

************

TODAY’S GOVERNMENT SKED

1 p.m. - The New York City Council Committee on Civil Rights holds a public meeting, Committee Room, City Hall, Manhattan.